AIX Racing’s Yevan David produced his best Qualifying performance of the 2026 F3 season at Silverstone, taking 11th place and securing a front-row start for Saturday’s Sprint Race.
The Sri Lankan driver showed pace from the start of Friday running. He finished 11th in Free Practice before carrying that form into Qualifying, where he regularly placed inside the top 10 and remained in contention throughout the session.
Although David ended the final classification in P11, the result marked a clear step forward. It also gives him a major opportunity in the reverse-grid Sprint Race, where he will start second behind championship leader Ugo Ugochukwu.
David welcomes his strongest Qualifying of the season at 2026 Silverstone F3 Round
David left Qualifying in a positive mood after delivering his most competitive Friday of the campaign so far. The AIX Racing driver saw the result as a reward for the work completed before Silverstone, especially after a difficult opening phase to his rookie F3 season.
“Honestly, I feel pretty good,” said David post-session, while speaking to Formula 3. “It was the best Qualifying by far, and the main thing is that we’re going to be starting on the front row tomorrow – P2 for the Sprint Race.
The timing of the result also added to the significance of the weekend. David has family at Silverstone, while the strong Friday also came on a notable day for key members of his AIX Racing crew.
“It’s a great place to do it, here at Silverstone, I’ve got my family here, it’s my engineer’s birthday and team coordinator’s birthday.
With that atmosphere around him, David now wants to convert the momentum into race results. He remains focused on both races rather than only the Sprint, as Silverstone gives him a chance to collect valuable points across the weekend.
“So in that aspect, it’s a nice weekend. But overall, I’m just very much looking forward to the race, as well as the Feature Race.
His target stays straightforward. David wants to keep the races clean, stay inside the points-paying positions and take as much as possible from his strongest weekend position of the season.
“The objective for both, no matter where we’re starting, is to score points, finish in the top 10, collect as many points as possible and just keep it clean. So moral is high, spirits are high, even coming from the sim.”
Silverstone rewards confidence through the fast corners
David then looked more closely at the Qualifying session itself. The margins remained extremely tight, and only around two and a half tenths separated him from a possible front-row result for the Feature Race.
“I think this is a very high speed track,” said David. “So in high speed corners, even if the difference in delta is quite a lot you don’t lose as much as low speed corners.
However, David also felt Silverstone suited his driving style. The circuit demands commitment through high-speed sections, and he believed his confidence in the car helped him attack those corners more effectively.
“But at the same time, it suits different people differently. I feel like for me, having these high speed corners, having the confidence to attack is what made the difference for me with the car as well.
AIX Racing’s preparation also gave him a platform to build from. David felt the simulator work translated well to the real circuit, which allowed him to trust the car when the pressure increased in Qualifying.
“I was able to just trust the car coming from the sim as well. It was quite accurate, so we’re quite happy in that aspect, and this track is mainly about confidence.
Even so, David placed the result in the context of a challenging first F3 season. Silverstone showed progress, but he also recognised that his campaign had not followed a simple upward path.
“You can work on technique and everything, but confidence is the main thing, and that’s what we had today. But it’s not been smooth sailing my first season in Formula 3.”
David hopes to avoid getting carried away after strong 2026 Silverstone F3 Qualifying performance
Despite the breakthrough, David does not want to claim that everything has fully clicked. Silverstone has a specific layout and uses the hard compound tyre, so he wants to judge his progress across more circuits before drawing firm conclusions.
“I would say it’s clicked, but not fully yet because I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. Silverstone is a very specific track.
He also knows that Silverstone experience can vary across the field. Therefore, he wants AIX Racing to keep learning as the championship moves to different venues and conditions.
“Not everyone knows the track as well and it’s on the hard compound. So we need to see when we’re moving forward.
At the same time, David wants to take the positives from the result. A stronger Qualifying performance can lift the mood inside the garage, and he believes that momentum can help the team continue to move in the right direction.
“But at the same time, I’m going to take the ups, I’m just going to take what I’ve learnt and keep the spirits high with the team and move forward. It’s just doing one step at a time.
Rather than setting unrealistic expectations after one strong Friday, David wants to focus on execution. That approach keeps the attention on the next session, the next race and the next opportunity to improve.
“We shouldn’t be expecting anything beyond this point, whether it’s good or bad. We just need to be focusing on what we need to do now and then move forward. But definitely it has been an improvement from all the other rounds. So in that aspect, I’m very happy.”
Front-row F3 Sprint start after strong Qualifying gives David victory chance at Silverstone
David will start Saturday’s Sprint Race from the front row, which gives him his clearest opportunity yet to fight at the sharp end in F3. He understands the pressure that comes with that position, but he also wants to approach the race with ambition.
“I’m going to be going for it. I always want to win,” he said. “I want to win in this sport, in life in general and in my career. So I’m definitely going to go for it. We just have to be smart.
Before the race, David plans to work closely with AIX Racing on strategy and race preparation. As this will be his first F3 start from the front row, he wants to understand every detail before the lights go out.
“I’m going to be speaking to the team tonight, about what our strategy is for tomorrow, and what I need to think about. Also, this is my first time starting on the front row, so just seeing what I can do from that aspect.
The opportunity gives him a clear target. David wants to attack, enjoy the moment and make the most of a weekend that has already produced his best Qualifying result of the season.
“Just going for it, have some fun, and we have a great opportunity on our hands.”
Silverstone offers a timely opening
David enters the rest of the Silverstone weekend with confidence, momentum and a front-row Sprint Race start. After a difficult start to his rookie F3 campaign, his strongest Qualifying result gives him a clearer route towards points.
Now, he must convert that progress into race results. If he keeps the races clean and maximises the opportunity, Silverstone could become an important turning point in his 2026 season.
